


Some Men Don't Deserve To Live

by whatTheFuckIsThis



Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 08:06:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18890566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatTheFuckIsThis/pseuds/whatTheFuckIsThis
Summary: Ms. Lister figures out what she’s going to do to Mr. Ainsworth. She’s going to kill him.





	Some Men Don't Deserve To Live

**Author's Note:**

> I know this isn't in character or historical accurate but fuck if I wouldn't love it to be.

_It’s death. It’s anything to do with death. It terrifies me._

Ms. Walker’s words rang in Ms. Lister’s head she held a knife to Reverend Ainsworth’s neck. Thomas held him down, putting all his weight on the bastard’s shoulder. He was gagged and bound, as he had been for hours, with a dirty rag jammed in his mouth and ropes wrapped tight around his torso and the same chair Sam had been murdered in.  

Ms. Walker would be upset, not that he was dead but that she had killed him and that made her hesitate.

The Reverend had long stopped struggling but she could still see the arrogance burning in his eyes. He wasn’t going to die, he was sure of that and it made her doubt her hesitation. Thomas told her killing him would be easy. Just a quick slice against his throat, like she was drawing a sword, and the human body would do the rest of the work. But she’d never killed a man before and the weight of her decision stopped her.

She sighed and moved the knife away from his neck. She took a few steps away from the men, careful not to step in any pig shit or mud, she couldn’t tell which. It was far too hot to be this hesitant, her back was already drenched in and her face was getting there. It was times like this she envied men like Thomas who could wear only a fraction of the layers she was obligated to wear.

“What’s wrong, Miss? Do you want me to…” Thomas paused, “to do it?”

“No, Thomas. Give me a minute,” she said. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if this is the best course of action.”

“Well isn’t that why we’re here, Miss. Because I have some experience in this department. With-”

“Not another word!” She looked down at the Reverend and then back up at Thomas, reminding him of the company they were in. “Not another word.”

She hadn’t asked Ann to go into much detail about what the Reverend did to her, mostly for Ann’s benefit but also partly for hers. At the first mention of it, she’d been angrier than she thought possible and it was only tempered by her desire to comfort Ms. Walker. She was being honest in that moment when she told Ann she hadn’t decided what she’d do to him, but that hadn’t lasted long. Thomas misspoke at their meeting the following day, letting it slip that his father hadn’t simply wandered off.

She knew then what she had to do. She made a deal with Thomas. Help her get rid of Reverend Ainsworth and she’ll forget she ever found out what he did to his father.

_I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know how to say no._

Ms. Lister had heard those words before. From friends and lovers. From young girls and old women. Whispered softly while laying bed and cried out in the safety of empty gardens. Those words made her angry then just as they made her angry now, but she’d never had the chance to punish the men responsible before.

How could she possibly give up that chance now? If not for Ann, for every other women who’d been victimized and hurt by men who thought those women were their property.

She retrieved her cane from the edge of the pen and marched over to the Reverend.

“Do you know why you’re here Reverend? In this pigsty, bound like a common criminal?” She tried to keep the anger out of her voice, but from the look Thomas gave her, she hadn’t succeeded. “Remove the rag from his mouth.”

She smiled as he gagged and tried to spit the taste out of his mouth. The spit dribbled out of his lips, leaving a trail of it on his chin and making him look even more pathetic than before.

“I haven’t the wildest idea why I’m here, Ms. Lister. Or where here is. I was supposed to be having dinner with the lovely Ms. Walker tonight.” His voice was hoarse but calm, as if this whole situation was nothing more than a minor inconvenience for him. “Will this little spat of yours be done by then or should I send your servant to inform my dear Annie?”

_He’s had intimate knowledge of me._

“Dinner is cancelled,” she said, holding her tongue about him claiming Ann as his. He needed to understand that he wouldn’t be getting anywhere near her, and certainly not alone.

“What a shame. I’d been looking forward to seeing her again. She and my late wife were such good friends I just want to make sure she’s doing all right.”

She smiled and chuckled dryly at his absurd excuse. Ms. Walker told her that the Reverend was unpleasant, but even for her, that was an overly kind statement. She’d known men like him when she was at school and when her family first tried to find her a groom. All they do is prattle on endlessly about their mundane pursuits they considered extraordinary, boring women into submission, if not going even further.

“Ms. Lister,” he said. “Surely you understand my position in this town and with my soon to be role as Reverend, that position will only grow. If you stop all this nonsense now, we can keep this between us. The Magistrate won’t have to here about this. I’d hate to see you sent away now. With all the progress you’ve been making at Shibden Hall and your poor aunt-”

She swung her cane at his face and with a loud crack it struck, turning his cheek bright red.

“You bitch!”

She swung again, this time hitting the other cheek and clipping his eye.

She turned away to stop herself from hitting him again and let out a deep breath. Once she was calm, she knelt down in front of the Reverend and lifted his chin with the bloody end of her cane.

“Ms. Walker isn’t yours. She isn’t yours or any of man’s. She’s her own woman. And right now, your safety rests solely on your understanding of that fact. Do I make myself clear?”

_Does that not put me under an obligation to Mr. Ainsworth?_

He didn’t respond, not that she was expecting him to. He was a coward, after all, and they never liked to be confronted by their own failings. The sad look on his face was enough.

“I don’t expect you to acknowledge what you did to Ms. Walker.”

He huffed. “I did nothing untoward to Ann. I merely helped her better understand the nature of our relationship.”

“The fact it never crossed your mind as a violation only proves what a horrible man you are. Not to mention husband and reverend.” She stood up and dusted the loose specks of dirt off her skirt. “I’m usually one to get my hands dirty, Mr. Ainsworth. There’s no honor in making someone do something that you would not do yourself. But this time I think I’ll make an exception.”

She looked at Thomas, who was patiently standing behind the chair. He nodded. He understood what she was asking him to do.

She moved out of the pen and leaned on the railing to watch. Thomas lined up the knife just as he’d described, took a breath, and slashed the Reverend’s throat. After a few seconds of choking on his blood, any hint of Ann’s obligation to the man was severed for good.

_It’d be easier if I had someone like you in my life. … Someone who would’ve helped me._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a kudos and comment if you want.


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